Collection Terra Natura – Nature & Conservation

Terra agencies are very involved in thinking about tourism challenges such as  climate change with a strong commitment to reduce our ecological footprint. We want to go further in our approach to ensure a positive local impact of travel in our destinations.

Céline, our collection’s ambassador, has been involved in conservation projects in Australia since 2007 with Conservation Volunteer Australia, has worked more than 4 years at the British tour operator Wildlife Worldwide in the development of extraordinary wildlife tours. Now she also works with the Adventure Travel Trade Association in training, organizing events and think tank workshops around the concept of Regenerative Travel.

What could be greater than an impromptu encounter with a brown bear who rubs his back against a tree, or a mom puma who cleans her young, or a humpback whale making its show, and in a completely wild environment?

What is more impactful than the adrenaline rush of walking the jungle at night with a flashlight or galloping on horseback with zebras and giraffes? We all have a story to tell about this extraordinary encounter with Mother Nature…

The Terra Natura collection is a selection of Nature and Conservation tours that go beyond the classic wildlife watching experience: encounters with indigenous peoples, learning about biodiversity with local experts and scientists, and the opportunity to contribute directly through conservation projects or by supporting local nature conservation organizations. 

Our trips also provide, above all, a deep immersion in our environment through active experiences: horse-back safari in South Africa, swimming with sea lions in a responsible way, diving in the Blue Hole in Belize, survival course in the Bolivian jungle or exploring the Australian outback with an Aboriginal guide.

Local encounters are also an essential ingredient that contributes to the magic of the experience with remarkable and inspiring personalities, such as a shaman in the Ecuadorian Amazon, the Guarani people in Argentina, and San Bushmen in Botswana but also local conservatives and experts such as Janine Duffy, an Australian researcher, koala expert with a charismatic personality, or Roberto Donoso, puma tracker in Chile.

We also support local foundations that work every day for the preservation of their natural heritage such as the Envol-vert Foundation, to plant Mayan walnut trees in Colombia, the Selva Biological research center in Costa Rica or Rewilding Europe in Croatia and Slovenia.

Our commitment on our Terra Natura collection is to:

• Guarantee a minimum of 70% of the itinerary dedicated to the biodiversity theme,
• The reduction or even suppression of domestic flights,
• The selection of locally-owned accommodation, small, ecological and if possible off the beaten track (ecolodges, glamping, homestays, tree house …)
• Slow travel, staying several nights in the same place
• The use of local transport and / or multi-day experiences involving hiking, cycling or horseback riding.
• A longer tour duration on long-haul routes by applying the 1 day per 415 miles covered by flight, formula.

We have also developed an ethical chart for Nature and Conservation travel with a list of selection criteria for our local partners who act responsibly and a mini guide for responsible travelers on how to experience nature and wildlife.

At the time of reflection and assessments, with an industry completely paralized for more than a year now, the impact on wildlife tourism has been dramatic with the return of poaching, deforestation… There is therefore an emergency to bring tourism back and its income to help preserve our natural heritage. We also know that the first sector that will resume after the crisis is adventure travel and ecotourism, which is also one of the reasons why we wanted to develop this collection as a priority.

Today we currently offer 13 destinations:

• Argentina, 
• Australia, 
• Belize, 
• Bolivia, 
• Botswana, 
• Chile, 
• Colombia, 
• Costa Rica, 
• Croatia, 
• Ecuador & Galápagos, 
• Guatemala, 
• Slovenia
• South Africa

Stay tuned for the next destination, Mexico, with its Monarch butterfly and grey whale migration. 

For any further information on this collection, for a specific request on one of our tours or any other travel plan, do not hesitate to contact Céline at celine.fortin@terra-group.com